Open Science on Wiki: Connecting Academia, Knowledge, and Innovation in Brazil

In September, the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) hosted an event organized by Wikimedia Brasil in partnership with CEPID (Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers), NeuroMat, and the IME (Institute of Mathematics and Statistics) Library to explore opportunities in open science, scientific dissemination, and innovation throughout Brazil. The event is part of the WMB’s #OpenScienceOnWiki campaign, a series of events, workshops, editing marathons, and seminars aimed at not only identifying barriers but also fostering practical solutions that promote a more inclusive and collaborative scientific culture.

Open science is a movement that aims to democratize and make research resources available for all. It involves transparency, social participation, and the free provision of information about all stages of the scientific process through dissemination activities.

Over the past two decades, digital platforms have revolutionized access to knowledge, democratizing previously restricted information. However, despite the significant increase in open-access publications, the scientific ecosystem still doesn’t fully explore all available possibilities. This means that the transformative potential of new technologies has not yet been fully realized, limiting their social impact and the pursuit of knowledge equity.

We understand that Wikimedia projects – such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikisource, Wikidata, and Wikiversity – have a sociotechnical infrastructure that can boost the promotion of science through various media and information languages.

The adoption of open platforms like these was presented as one way to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and everyday life during the seminar entitled “Open Science and Scientific Dissemination – Challenges and Opportunities,” which took place on September 4th and brought together researchers, educators, information professionals, and journalists. More than 100 participants engaged throughout the day, which included lectures, roundtables, presentations of selected papers, and the premiere of the documentary “Listening to Trees,” which chronicles the career of mathematician Antonio Galves.

As highlighted by Stela Madruga, librarian at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics at USP, and one of the organizers and speakers of the event, “There are many tools and strategies available for the practice of open science, but we need to go beyond isolated initiatives and individual efforts, seeking institutional measures that give more structure and continuity to these actions.”

In Brazil, significant socioeconomic barriers and the lack of a cohesive national policy hinder the dissemination of scientific information. Priscila Sena, professor at IBICT (Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology), emphasized the need for a cultural shift that recognizes science as a collective benefit and places communities at the center of information governance, honoring diversity and traditional knowledge.

Edney Cielici Dias, coordinator of the Center for Metropolitan Studies’ Wiki project, discussed the challenges of finding the “middle ground” in encyclopedic communication (between news and academic texts) to bring social science research findings to the Wiki universe, with a commitment to strengthening a collaborative culture in academia and beyond. According to him, it is therefore necessary to involve professors, students, and society as a whole, combat misinformation and promote qualified knowledge, and contribute to a more just and democratic society through free and welcoming knowledge.

João Alexandre Peschanski, a member of CEPID NeuroMat and the executive director of WMB, provided an overview of the development of scientific dissemination models in the country, as well as an explanation of the NeuroMat case. He also addressed how, based on this experience, Wiki initiatives spread to other USP units and FAPESP projects.

Sabine Righetti, a journalist and researcher in science production, communication, and perception, as well as a professor in the Specialization in Scientific Journalism at UNICAMP’s Labjor, reported on the experience of Agência BORI, which connects Brazilian science with journalists from all areas of coverage.

Débora Perez Menezes, director of Results Assessment and Digital Solutions at CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) and professor in the Physics Department at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, explained that power is currently increasingly concentrated in the hands of data owners, as we live in an era of Data Colonialism. In this context, “Brazilian researchers are, above all, strong! They teach classes, grade tests, participate in department meetings, mentor students, develop projects, purchase equipment, report back, and are now expected to understand metadata and correctly place it in (private?) repositories. Will there be time for researchers to use their creativity and research? To advance the availability of research data appropriately, we need a sovereign cloud, adequate physical and human infrastructure at universities and research institutes so that researchers can receive guidance on which data to deposit, how, and when, and so that the deposit is supported by a multidisciplinary team.”

Alexander Hilsenbeck Filho, responsible for the Education and Scientific Dissemination area at Wikimedia Brazil, prepared a discussion on good practices in Digital University Extension, based on a WMB research (conducted with João Peschanski and Amanda Jurno) that presents empirical cases – focusing on technological sovereignty, the institutionalization of projects and the development of open educational resources – that serve as inspiration for a growing demand for universities to develop contemporary skills, including critical thinking, media literacy, citizen participation and community collaboration, which are related to digital extension work.

Maria Elisa Pimentel Piemonte, professor at the USP School of Medicine and a member of NeuroMat, spoke about actions based on the translation of scientific knowledge (through university extension, scientific dissemination, and knowledge translation) into accessible formats for people with Parkinson’s disease, based on the experience of the Support Network for Friends and People with Parkinson’s Disease (Rede Amparo).

Lilian Viana, librarian at the USP School of Public Health, discussed digital strategies for cultural institutions, sharing a series of projects in Brazil to democratize access to collections/archives and engage communities in the use of Wikimedia to disseminate knowledge. These projects aimed to democratize access to cultural, historical, and scientific heritage, including underrepresented themes and geographic aspects, through the strategic use of Wikimedia platforms, seeking to increase the visibility of collections, promote education, and ensure the communication of cultural memory within the context of open knowledge.

The event also featured Natália Silva (journalist and is currently a presenter and executive editor at podcast Rádio Novelo)  and Theo Ruprecht (journalist, professor at Camp Serrapilheira and one of the creators and presenters of the podcast Dirty Science), who shared stories about how they use podcasts to promote science. More information about the seminar “Open Science and Scientific Communication – Challenges and Opportunities” is available on the event’s page, and images and presentations can be found in the Wikimedia Commons category.

The day after the seminar, a meeting took place at Cásper Líbero College, focusing on strategies to strengthen the connection between academia and local communities. This allowed representatives of organizations—such as Haydée Svab, Executive Director of Open Knowledge Brasil —to collaborate on proposals that improve the intersection between science and society.